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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Raspberry Mousse Brownie - Back in Time with Valentine's Theme

2.17.11

Did you celebrate Valentine's day?

Why do we celebrate Valentine's day? I'm not going to touch on history and facts. For me, it's an excuse to do something nice and fun; treat it like a special day to grant a wish or give a wish. I'm not sure how it started but in Asia we have a Valentine's day and a White Valentine's day. Valentine's day is a day when males express feelings to females. On the contrary, a white valentine's day is a day when females express feelings to males. Interesting huh? I think so too.

"Among those who are celebrating in 2011, the average U.S consumer is expected to spend $116.21 on Valentine's Day gifts, meals, and entertainment, according to the survey -- about $13 more per person than in 2010."

Yep. I know. This is crazy! Our economy is going to recover soon(?).

So for us, we didn't help spur up the economy much because we stayed home cooking. Thinking about making a reservation with a nice restaurant, fighting a crowd, getting home late, and getting up early to work the next day, had worn me out. Staying at home was such a brilliant idea all of a sudden.

It was a little challenging to prepare a 3-course meal on a weekday but we managed it alright. The coolest thing was Keith helped me cook. Well, this rarely happens in my kitchen! We had an Asian tomato soup for the first course, a five spice powder seared Ahi tuna salad with wasabi dressing for the second course, and this sweet adorable brownie for the third course.

I tried to find a recipe that accommodated ingredients I already had and adapted it to suit my preference. I also changed the shape of it by using a plating/dessert ring to make it round and tall. It looks pretty good (hehe). We loved it; so did our friends. Happy belated Valentine's Day!

PS: I'm not able to provide directional photos for this dish because I was busy preparing the meal. As you know it was hectic in the kitchen. Sorry about that!

Raspberry Mousse Brownie

Yield: 4 (Cut it by 3" dessert ring. If you use a smaller ring, you can get more than 4)

Hi Tanantha, this is an elegant Valentine dessert and so pretty with the raspberry mousse. I like the way you layered the mousse on top of the brownie, such a beautiful presentation. I think I would like to post an elegant romantic dessert, thanks for inspiring me;-)Ps. I do love yellow but my favorite color is blue, what's yours? Maybe pink???

T, I've missed you. Glad to hear you had a nice vday at home with your husband! Eric also helps to cook sometimes but mostly he doesn't because our kitchen doesn't really fit two people! Someday, we will have a bigger kitchen.Beautiful dessert :) It's a perfect vday dessert.

This is the perfect Valentine's dessert! Actually, I think it's pretty much the perfect dessert for any day of the year. It's so classy and romantic. We stayed in for Valentine's this year too...it was so much more relaxed than going out like we've done in past years. I love that Keith helped you in the kitchen! That really is a great gift, isn't it? :)

What a gorgeous valentines dessert! And how fun that your husband helped out in the kitchen ;)I need to get new rings as I can not find mine anywhere...comes from having too many toys I guess :) Hope you guys had a wonderful valentines day!

Your raspberry mousse brownie looks delicious, Tanantha! Gorgeous presentation as well. I love it when the hubby helps out in the kitchen, but that usually means we have two holy terrors running around. Haha. Your whole meal sounded lovely. I'm glad you were able to enjoy a nice Valentine's day with Keith. Hope you're having a good week.

Yep, we stayed in, too. Don't like dealing with the crowds and usually sub par food from a prefix menu. But I didn't attempt a three course meal - a little dark chocolate sufficed for dessert. Wish we lived closer - this dessert would have been the perfect ending to my red dinner - only if you made it ;) Gorgeous in every way!

Hey Tanantha! We don't do V-Day in our hollow. I kind of think of it as big farce (smile but seriously). The man is trying to get our money...:)Either way though, your brownie with raspberry mousse looks amazing, love...!

What a beautiful dessert! And so much better than a night out! Ryan and I also stayed at home for Valentine's Day...we made a simple yet tasty meal, and it was delightful. Thank you for sharing with me tonight! I hope you have a great weekend, my dear.